How to Raise the Height of a Chain Link Fence Easily and Cheaply
We had a 2-1/2 foot chain link boundary fence which we wanted to raise to a 4 foot height. The job was quoted by several fence companies who all agreed that the old posts would have to be dug up and newer ones installed. Not only would this be expensive, it would cause considerable damage to the shrubs that had grown up around the old fence. I came up with a much easier solution that also minimized the damage to the roots of the shrubs. My solution was instead of digging up the old posts, the installers could slide a taller and slightly larger post over the the existing ones to support the new fencing material.
How we raised the height of our chain link fence:
1. Removed old fence. The first step was to remove the old chain link from the old frame. The post caps, brace bands, and rail were set aside for reuse.
2. Slid the new post over the old post. Our old posts were 1-5/8″ in diameter. The replacements posts were 2-3/8″ in diameter and slid easily over the old posts.
3. Attached tension bars and hardware. The old post caps were tapped into the new fence posts. The recycled brace bands were slid onto the posts into their proper location. The recycled rail was slid through the post caps.
4. Installed chain link. The chain link was installed following standard instructions (found at Home Depot.com) and attached to the rail with new aluminum wire.
Sliding a larger fence post over a smaller one was all it took to raise the height of our fence without damaging the landscaping. Because we used recycled material (including the chain link), the total cost of this project was less than $50 for raising a 50 foot stretch of fence to a height of four feet.
More by this contributor:
How to install T posts the right way.
How to camouflage a chain link fence.
Do I need a permit to build a fence?
